Surfing Lessons
by AngelBurn6
Summary: Mack didn't always know how to surf. Her vacation at her grandfather's took a sudden turn when a laid-back blonde entered her life, insisting he teach her, and not taking 'no' for an answer. Prequel to TBM
1. Chapter 1

She didn't know why she was so aggravated at the view of the sandy beach laid in front of her. The soft sand beneath her sandals squished between her toes, sending an uncomfortable feeling up her legs. She liked the beach, she did! But it was the reason _why_ she was here that made her teeth clench in annoyance.

"You're staying with your grandfather for the summer," her aunt's voice resonated in her head, and she huffed as she carried her bags across the sand. The vacation before junior year was definitely not planned to be like this, that's for sure.

"McKenzie!" a voice called from a few yards to her left. Mack turned and a large smile made its way across her face.

"Grandpa!" she shouted and unceremoniously dropped her suitcases on the ground, no doubt getting some sand inside. She didn't care. This was the one reason her vacation wouldn't be completely horrible. She had missed her grandfather dearly.

She tackled him in a hug, and his familiar laugh echoed in her ear. "I thought you'd arrive a lot later!"

"Aunt Antoinette wanted to drop me off earlier," she rolled her eyes as she explained. She didn't let go of the elderly man until he pulled her back by her arms and took a good look at her.

Mack missed the warm blue eyes she was so familiar with as a child. Ever since her mother died, the monthly visits to her grandfather lessened and lessened until she was lucky enough to even see him twice a year. He was the one to teach her how to fly a kite and how to swim. She had no idea how she went this long without him.

"Look at how much you've grown!" he observed as he studied her. "Such a beautiful young lady you are."

Mack blushed and hugged him again. "Oh, Grandpa, I missed you!"

"I missed you, too McKenzie."

She pulled back once again, pushing back her dark brown curls from her face. "You can call me Mack, Grandpa. Only Aunt Antoinette calls me by my full name." Once again, she couldn't stop the eye roll at her mention of the uptight blonde woman.

Her aunt wasn't always so pushy and insensitive. She was her mother's sister, despite the personality and physical differences. Antoinette was blonde with stern brown eyes, while her mother was brunette, like her, with really warm hazel eyes. Don't get her wrong, she loved her aunt, but she was the one who forced her to live with her grandfather for three months, and she automatically rebelled against that decision.

"Mack it is," her grandfather smiled. "Come on, let's go to the shack."

He helped her carry her large bags and suitcases, all filled with clothes meant to be worn in the city. Mack was a city girl, and she was proud of it; hence the annoyance of her current lifestyle on the beach now.

Mack couldn't help but scowl at the surfers littering the shoreline and watching the ocean with glee in their eyes.

'Didn't they have anything better to do than stand on a stupid floating board all day?' she thought to herself dryly.

Multiple people, most looking around her age, were surfing on intense looking waves, pulling off a few spins and tricks that she tried very hard not to be impressed at. Others on the shore that she passed were trading comments about the water, spouting off surf lingo that Mack didn't bother trying to decipher.

At this point, Mack was certain the sand would be permanently stuck in between her toes now. She tried to walk on rocks to avoid it, but there was no point. The sand followed her everywhere.

With a defeated sigh, Mack followed her grandfather who was excitedly telling her all about his surf shop and how well it was doing.

"That's great, Grandpa," she forced a smile and adjusted the slipping purse off her shoulder.

After a torturous five minutes, the special house attached to the shop came into view, and Mack nearly cheered with relief. She climbed up the creaky wooden steps, happily shaking off any sand from her nice silver sandals. Most came off, but she eyed her still-sandy toes with disdain.

"I'll show you to your room," her Grandpa announced, leading her deeper into the admittedly cute house. The wooden floorboards were old beneath her shuffling feet, but they felt…homey.

Actually, the entire place felt homey. Whether it was the old surfboards lining the walls or the ocean scent drifting in, Mack couldn't help but breathe in deeply and smile just a little bit.

Maybe she could get used to this.

"Right in here," he gestured to a door at the end of a short hallway. With a tight smile, she carried her things into the room.

"Wow," she found herself breathing in awe. The room was absolutely beautiful. Light from the afternoon sun filtered in through the pale white curtains, and illuminated the sky blue walls. It was bright and summery, a perfect type of room for this kind of place.

Mack shuffled in, admiring the sea shells decorating the walls and several framed pictures on the wooden dresser. Some were of the beach right outside, while there were others of her as a small child.

She picked one up, brown eyes studying the two people smiling brightly at the camera. It was of her when she was about ten, and her mother right beside her. Cursing to herself, she quickly wiped away a stray tear building up before her grandfather could notice.

Fortunately for her, he was looking out the window with his hands clasped behind his back.

"I really hope you like it here, Mack," he seemed to say to himself. Mack softened at the easygoing look in his light eyes as he turned to face her directly. "I'm glad I get to share a part of my life here with you."

"I already do," she found herself saying before she could stop her mouth. That mouth got her into trouble more than she could count. Whenever something was on her mind, or a strong thought built up, it came pouring out. She had no filter, but sometimes, it was a good thing. People never really spoke down on her for standing up for what she believed in. Mack was strong like that in her opinion.

"Good," he grinned, leaning forward to lay a tiny kiss on her forehead. "Breakfast will be ready at around eight."

"Sounds great."

After that, Mack was left alone with her thoughts in the gorgeous room.

"Could I really enjoy myself here?" she asked herself aloud, standing in front of the mirror and observing her appearance.

Nicely curled chocolate locks spilled out of a half ponytail and down the back of her silky blue blouse. She opted for white capris before the plane ride here, but quickly realized it would be much too hot to wear anything longer than her knees in this California weather.

Quickly, she opened up her large suitcases and shifted through the similar pieces of clothing she was currently wearing.

Oh no, this wasn't good. She had nothing to really wear this whole vacation!

"Nice going, Mack," she mumbled to herself. With a groan, she decided to put away her things the next day, already slipping off her clothes and finding her pajamas.

The jet lag from the journey there was getting to her, and as the sun started slipping down the horizon, Mack was already snuggled deep in the fluffy blankets.

She vowed to do her best to _try_ to enjoy her vacation, at least for the sake of her grandfather.

Her toes were still covered in sand.

* * *

**And there you go! I recently watched Teen Beach Movie and was automatically dying to make a story for it. It never really explained how Mack and Brady met, so I thought I'd try to make a possible story out of it! Don't worry, Brady's coming soon;)**

**Next few chapters will be longer, I promise!**

**Review and tell me how I did! Hopefully it's up to your standards:) Do it for Ross3**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2! I'm not a very experienced author, so please go easy on me:)**

**I hope you like this chapter! It's a lot longer too, thank God.**

* * *

Mack groaned and buried herself deeper in her soft cocoon of blankets when the bright rays of sun poured in through her window. It was hot on her face, and she inwardly sighed with annoyance.

'How is it even possible to be this hot this early in the morning?'

She hugged the blue comforter tighter and curled up, trying to savor a few more blissful moments of slumber. The early bedtime really helped with her jet lag, but that didn't stop Mack from wanting to go back to dreamland.

In her dream, she was back east with her friends, enjoying the moderate temperature and listening as they talked about the passing cute boys. She didn't understand why they needed a boy in order to feel happy. She was perfectly fine living on her own and finding happiness without one. She could do whatever she wanted, especially without a guy's permission.

Anyways, back in her dream, the sun didn't shine as harshly in her eyes like the one was now, here in California. With a defeated moan, she sat up and rubbed her face.

A sudden delicious scent wafted to her nostrils, making Mack shut her eyes with pleasure at the heavenly smell.

'Yummy,' she thought to herself, smiling. 'Grandpa's breakfast is the best.'

A distant clang of pots alerted her and her brown eyes popped open and immediately narrowed.

Her grandfather had said breakfast would be ready for her, but he would be out in his workshop at dawn. He wouldn't be down in the kitchen, so then who was?

Cautiously, Mack crawled out of bed and slowly stepped into the hallway, pulling on her fuzzy slippers on the way. She bit her lip as she lined the wooden walls, feeling it behind her and walking slowly like a ninja.

She would surprise this intruder and hopefully scare them away with her nonexistent fighting skills.

With a shaky breath, she poked her head around the corner and peered vigilantly into the deliciously smelling kitchen.

'I swear, if this robber ate my breakfast I'm going to punch someone,' she thought menacingly.

The sight surprised her, for there was definitely not a robber in her kitchen.

There was a boy facing the stove, holding a spatula and flipping a couple blueberry pancakes in the air. She was absolutely at a loss of what to do. Who the hell was this guy?

Determined to go along with her plan, she sneaked into the room, eyes trained on the boy's bare back.

'Honestly! This guy didn't even bother putting on a shirt before breaking into the house!'

Her right slipper suddenly banged against the refrigerator next to her. Mack winced and cursed at herself in her mind.

The loud noise caused the intruder to spin around, spatula in mid-flip, and the pancake to fall to the floor with a resounding 'plop'.

With fumbling hands, Mack somehow found a pan lying on the counter next to her and held it up in defense.

"W-what are you doing here?" she stuttered, heart beating rapidly. She could take this guy, so there was no need to be so scared. Seriously, he only startled her. Well, that was what she told herself.

"Um, flipping pancakes?" the blonde boy answered, unsure, with a dark eyebrow quirked up in amusement. He eyed her 'weapon' with mild interest. "Who are you?"

"Get out of my house!" she snapped, ignoring his question. She waved the pan threateningly, hoping to ward him out of the house and to stop making breakfast.

What was wrong with this picture? Everything!

"Your house?" his brows popped up to his hairline, and he regarded her more thoroughly in confusion. Abruptly, understanding spread over his admittedly attractive features and he smiled widely. "Oh! You're John's granddaughter!"

Mack gaped at him, not knowing what to do. It was obvious he knew who her grandpa was, but here he was, in the house without her knowledge until now, flipping freaking pancakes!

"Oh, Mack, you're up!" her grandfather entered through the side door, smiling at her and Shirtless Boy. "Brady here offered to make breakfast since I had to fix up some boards earlier than usual."

Mack glanced back and forth between him and the grinning boy who was still holding the spatula. She hesitantly placed the pan back on the counter and stood stiffly.

"So, I'm guessing you guys met already?" he asked.

"Well, not exactly," Shirtless Boy chuckled, looking intently at Mack. She refused to meet his eye and glared at her feet. "She came in and threatened me with a frying pan."

"What?" her grandpa choked down laughter. "Mack, why?"

"I didn't know who he was!" she snapped back, flicking her head back up to glare at the blonde kid. "He was just suddenly in the kitchen making pancakes! What was I supposed to do?"

"I don't know…say your name and ask politely why he was here," he answered with a booming laugh.

It was then that Mack realized how stupid this whole situation was. She definitely overreacted, and now she felt foolish.

With a clenched jaw, she turned and stormed back in her room, not wanting to see the intruder again.

* * *

"Mack, can I come in?" her grandfather knocked on her bedroom door. She glanced up from her position on her stomach, sprawled over her bed with slightly annoyed eyes.

"Yeah, Grandpa."

He entered, smiling down at her and shut the door behind him.

"So, I'm guessing you don't want any breakfast?" he chuckled, sitting beside her.

"Ha, yeah, no thanks," she rolled her eyes, crawling up to sit beside the older man. He patted her arm reassuringly.

"Sorry, about not warning you about Brady," he apologized; truly upset he made her mad. Quickly, all her annoyance melted away and she glanced up to face him.

"Shirtless Boy?" he laughed at her name for him. "Why was he here anyway?"

"_Brady_," he enunciated his real name before continuing "helps me out a lot at the shop. As for being shirtless, he surfs a great deal and tends to mostly walk around in his swimming trunks when he's by the beach."

Ah, so he's one of those surfer people she had passed on the way to the house yesterday. She thought back to him as he stood in the kitchen, and realized he was in fact, wearing a red and blue bathing suit.

"Still doesn't explain why he was making pancakes in here at," she checked the time on her cell phone, "seven in the morning."

"He was just being nice and offered to make some breakfast for you. He knew how excited I was at the news of you visiting," he laughed again. Mack was getting used to his warm laughter.

"Okay," she sighed, slumping on her back on the warm bed. She turned to her bag and pulled out a well-worn book.

"Why don't you go read that on the beach?" her Grandpa suggested, eyeing the novel in her hands. "It's really nice out."

"Outside?" she found herself glancing out the large window at the smattering of people already beginning to surf and relax.

"Yes, Mack," he huffed. "The beach is outside."

Glaring mockingly at his dry tone, she rolled her eyes and nodded. "Alright, I'll go out in a little bit."

Satisfied with her response, he stood up and walked out the door, most likely heading back to his surf shop.

Mack dropped her book back in her lap, looking at her open suitcase in distaste. She really needed to find a mall and get more suitable clothes for this weather.

She stood up and kneeled in front of it with the intent of finally putting everything away.

It took a good twenty minutes, but with everything in its proper place, she could find some clothes to wear just for today.

As she stood in front of her large mirror over her white dresser, she groaned out loud in horror.

Shirtless Boy had seen her in her thin tank top and cow print pajama shorts. Not to mention her cat slippers!

Shaking off embarrassment, she changed into a plain purple bikini that was modest enough and slipped on a pair of frayed denim shorts. Packing some sunscreen, sunglasses, a towel, and her precious book, she deemed herself ready and headed out the door.

Luckily, Shirtless Boy was long gone by then, and the house was empty. For some reason, she wasn't sure if she was happy or not about that…

'I could use a tan anyways,' she thought to herself as she stared disdainfully at the sandy ground out the side door. With a deep breath, she walked out the door and onto the beach, already feeling the sand between her toes.

Ugh, why was that so annoying?

She walked a ways down the beach until she found a reasonable spot right next to the rising water line. Shaking the towel to spread evenly over the lumpy sand, she found a comfortable position and relaxed with her book in her hand.

The water tickled her toes as it rose with the tide, touching the tip of her towel before falling back down with a 'whoosh'.

The sound was soothing, and Mack nearly found she was tuning out the noise of the passing people. Deep in her novel, everything felt so nice and relaxing, and suddenly it actually felt like she could enjoy this vacation.

A body suddenly fell into her from behind, knocking her book forward and into the receding surf. An 'oof' escaped her mouth and she whirled around to give the person a piece of her mind for running into her.

"Shirtless Boy?" she gasped, and immediately placed a hand over her gaping mouth.

"I am so sorry," he laughed, and it seemed he didn't hear the embarrassing nickname she had called him, or chose to ignore it. "Didn't see you there."

He held out a hand for her, but she glared at it scornfully before standing up herself. "Watch where you're going."

"Sorry, my friend over there," he pointed to a few guys behind her, "threw a bomb with this football."

He held up said football and smiled charmingly at her with strong white teeth.

"My book!" Mack gasped, spinning around to see her novel floating in the blue water near the shore. She darted toward it, feeling the cold ocean rush under her legs.

Luckily, she reached the book before it got too far, for she was only up to her knees. Picking up the soaked book with two fingers, she nearly cried when she noticed the running ink and barely-held-together cover. It was completely ruined.

"Hey, you okay?" the kid called from his spot next to her towel. He was still standing there, much to Mack's annoyance. Why did her keep showing up in her life?!

She held back her sob with only trembling lips and marched back to her towel. The boy watched her with interest as she packed everything and began walking back to the house.

"Hey, wait up!" he followed behind her. "I didn't mean to make you leave. You can still sit there, you know."

She ignored him, stomping down the shore and avoiding any people that got in her way. Shirtless Boy still persisted.

"Is it about the book?" he asked. "It's just a stupid book, you know."

"It is not just a 'stupid book'!" Mack spun around, jamming a finger into his admittedly hard chest. This time he was finally wearing a rash guard, but the nickname seemed to stick since she couldn't remember his real one. "Now please go away!"

Before she could turn back around, the blonde boy grabbed her wrist in front of his chest and held tight. She glared into his wide, honey brown eyes.

"Mack, I didn't mean to make you so upset," he pleaded, holding her despite her struggles to get away.

"It's McKenzie," she retorted. "Only my friends and family call me Mack."

"I'm sorry."

She softened at the tone of his last apology. He sounded truly upset and sorry for what had happened, even though it wasn't necessarily his fault. It was an accident after all, but Mack was still pretty distraught.

If he knew her grandfather so well, he would understand her next comment.

"It was my mother's," she answered simply, before turning out of his slackened grip and walking the rest of the way to the house.

* * *

Mack sat on her bed and stared at the ruined book in her hands. She felt tears prick her eyes when she thought back to when her mom gave it to her.

"It's my favorite book, Mack," she had explained with a bright smile. "You'll keep it forever, right?"

"Right!" her eleven-year-old self exclaimed animatedly.

Mack thought her mother would be so mad at her for ruining her favorite book if she was still alive. With a sniff, she turned when a knock came at her door.

She stood up and wiped all traces of tears from her face. Luckily, she wasn't too much of an obvious crier, so her grandfather probably wouldn't even notice she was upset at all.

"Yeah, Grandpa?" she answered the door with a smile.

"Here, kiddo," he handed her something. "Brady told me he found it on the beach and figured you left it there."

She blinked in surprise at the object in her hands. Before she could respond, her grandfather wished her a good night and walked back down the hall to his own bedroom.

In her hands was the same book her mother had given her.

Mack glanced back and forth between the brand new book in her hands and the ruined one on her blankets, as if the events at the beach today hadn't even happened and it was all in her imagination.

No, there were still two books, and she gawked at the shiny one held between her stiff fingers.

Curious, she turned the front cover and saw black, messy writing scrawled over the back of it.

_To McKenzie: I'm sorry about ruining your book. I thought this could make up for it. PS- I'm also sorry I make horrible first impressions. From Brady._

Mack gazed down at the writing in surprise, thinking about the blonde nuisance she realized she had gotten all wrong.

He wasn't as horrible as she previously thought, and Mack was certain to thank him the next day.

* * *

**Yay! Chapter 2 done! So, Mack's finally warming up to the idea of being friends with Brady, and isn't he so sweet? I can't wait for the actual surfing lessons and lovey moments (don't worry, they're coming!) **

**Review please? :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**New chapter! And sorry this one is pretty short too:( It was gonna be soo much longer but I decided to split it in two chapters.**

**I figured I should say I don't own anything you see familiar in this story. Also, I don't really know anything about surfing haha so whatever you see about it, I just looked it up. Don't be mad if it's not exactly accurate!**

**Enjoy!:)**

* * *

'Big Papa's Surf Shop' read the sign in front of Mack. She observed the sign with a quirked brow.

'Interesting name, Grandpa,' she chuckled, staring the door in front of her. Was it such a good idea to thank the kid right away?

'I mean, he showed up in my kitchen randomly without a shirt on! Then, he goes and tackles me so Mom's book was ruined!' Mack argued with herself, trying to make the blonde menace more horrible in her mind.

But then, thoughts about the other things he had done entered her mind as well. He was, in fact, in her kitchen to make her breakfast since her grandfather was too busy, and the tackling thing was a complete accident. He even bought a new book just for her!

Mack shifted the weight on her feet, biting her lip with uneasiness.

No! McKenzie was never nervous before, so why should she start now, because of some boy? Boys didn't make her nervous, especially strange blonde ones. With a huff, Mack reached forward for the handle.

The bell of the workshop's door chimed loudly as Mack cautiously stepped in, eyeing the surfboards with curiosity that lined the walls and tables. She had never stepped foot in it yet, but was pretty certain this Brady person would be there if he did in fact help out her grandfather.

Her bare feet shuffled aimlessly on the slightly sandy floor and she studied the interior of the small shop.

It was cute; with tall wooden walls and many windows to allow the light from the bright sun to pour in. It was only around eight in the morning, and Mack nearly worked up a sweat walking to the place. Why was it so hot in California?

She peered over the counter, checking out the next room with a large green surfboard with what looked to be sanding tools beside it on the big table.

Nobody was there, much to her surprise.

"Hey, can I help you?" someone came out of another room Mack hadn't noticed on the other side of the store. She whirled around in surprise, brown hair whipping her in the face.

"Oh. Um, hi?" came her extremely intelligent response.

'Way to sound like an idiot,' she berated herself.

"Mac- I mean, McKenzie?" Brady looked up in shock. Immediately, he straightened up and tried to appear polite as he walked to the other side of the counter to face her.

"Hi," she answered without meeting his eye.

They got off to a pretty bumpy start, and Mack didn't exactly know how to speak to him without malice or shock. He seemed to be thinking to exact same thing. She was attempting to be civil, but Brady was still stepping on eggshells around her.

"Are you looking for your grandfather?" he suddenly spoke, nervousness lacing his tone for a reason unknown to Mack. She glanced up, looking into his uneasy honey brown eyes and forcing a smile on her face.

"No, actually," she laughed quietly to herself. "I came to see you."

"Me?" he wondered in disbelief. He wiped his hands on a rag before placing them both on the counter to lean in closer, eyeing her inquisitively. "How come?"

"I, uh…I wanted to thank you," Mack really wasn't very good at this sort of thing. She never had to apologize for her actions before. People were either on her good side or bad side. There wasn't really any in between.

However, this time, this boy came into her life at the worst of times, but he turned out to be pretty sweet. Mack was at a loss of what to do.

She looked up at his puzzled face before gesturing wildly with her hands. "You know…the book?"

"Oh," he understood, standing up straight and wringing the rag anxiously in his hands. "It was no big deal."

"It was to me," Mack answered honestly, sending him a genuine smile. She placed her crossed arms on the counter to bring them a little closer. "When did you have time to get it?"

Brady shifted his eyes around; looking anywhere but her, and Mack had no idea why. He seemed fine dealing with her when she was shocked or upset.

"Well, uh," he began. "After you went back home, I felt really bad. So, I walked to the bookstore in town and remembered which book you had. It wasn't too hard."

His name came easily to her mind this time. "That was the nicest thing anyone's ever done for me. Thank you, Brady."

He smiled up at her through his messy blonde locks. "I didn't think you knew my name. I figured you'd call me Shirtless Boy forever."

Mack gaped at him, stuttering out a plausible excuse. "No! It's not- well I just…"

"Chill," he placed a calloused hand on her crossed forearm. "It's fine, Kitty Slippers."

"Kitty Slippers…?" Mack began in confusion, before disbelief spread over her features. "Oh, shut up!"

Brady laughed loudly, grinning widely at her red face.

"Mack?" her grandfather entered the shop from the same door Brady came in from. She figured it was like a backdoor or something. "What are you doing here?"

"Oh, hi Grandpa!" Mack greeted. "I'm just thanking Brady for bringing my book back."

"So, you two are…" he trailed off, blue eyes searching both their faces thoroughly.

"We're fine," Mack glanced at Brady quickly before looking back at her grandfather.

"Well, that's good," he answered in relief. "Brady, son, would you go to Freddy's house and give him this wax case for his long board for me? I need to finish sanding the one in the workshop."

"Sure thing, John," Brady used his arm to hop over the counter beside Mack. As he waited for her grandfather to make sure everything was in the case, Mack decided to go back to the house and change to go to the beach.

She turned to head out the door, already seeing the hot sun shining brightly on the sand right outside the shop. Maybe if she made a run for it, not too much sand would be stuck between her toes and she wouldn't be burned by it.

"Hey, are you leaving?" Brady spoke up behind her, causing her to whirl around and face him at the counter. Did he sound almost…disappointed? No, it was just her imagination. It had to be.

"Yeah, I'm just heading back to the house," she answered, pointing a thumb over her shoulder out the door.

"Oh, okay. See ya, McKenzie," he waved with a small smile. Mack suddenly stopped and watched him intently.

"You know, Brady," she found herself speaking up and stepping closer. "You make a really bad first impression, and an even worse second one."

With each word and step closer, Brady winced at the memory. He blinked when she appeared about two feet in front of him. With a reassuring hand on his upper arm now, Mack could feel him tense.

"But," she started. "Your third one wasn't too bad."

His mouth opened to respond but before she let him speak, she dropped her hand and whirled around to exit.

"Oh, and you can call me Mack!" she called over without turning around, and finally stepped outside onto the sandy terrain.

* * *

**Chapter 3 DONE:) Yussss Brady and Mack bonding! Stay tuned for more in the next chapters!**

**Sorry for any typos, I'm trying! **

**Review please:) For Ross3**


	4. Chapter 4

**I don't own anything familiar:)**

**Enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

At dinner a few days later, Mack's grandfather suddenly announced news she didn't expect to hear, making her drop her burger back onto her plate in surprise.

"Your Aunt called earlier," he said, furrowing his gray eyebrows.

"What?" she glanced up at him. "Why?"

"She was…um, reminding me about the deal you two made before you came here."

Mack blinked, forgetting all about it during the fun time she was having. The past week was made up of her tanning on the beach with the new book Brady had bought for her, watching the surfers have the time of their life on the waves, and helping out her grandfather the best she could. She honestly was having a lot of fun, and the deal she had made didn't cross her mind once.

"Oh," she said simply, looking down at her half-eaten cheeseburger at a loss of what to say.

"She's coming at the end of August to pick you up, Mack," her grandfather prompted, standing up to clean up the finished plates.

"I know," she mumbled softly.

Before she came to stay with her grandfather for vacation, her Aunt Antoinette made a deal with her. She got to spend the summer with her grandfather, but after that, she would have to attend this fancy schmancy academy Mack had no desire to go to.

Sure she loved the city, but an exclusive academy? Even Mack had her limits. Besides, the California life was growing on her, and Mack couldn't really imagine leaving her grandfather and seeing this relaxing vacation coming to an end.

The atmosphere grew somber, and Mack struggled to change the subject fast.

"Um, so what's up with that Brady guy?"

'Really, Mack? You had to bring him up out of everything else you could have said?' she berated herself as she helped her grandfather clean the dirty dishes.

He raised an eyebrow up at her question and smirked to himself.

"Brady?" he asked. At her apprehensive nod, he continued. "He's a good kid. He helps out a lot."

"How come you never mentioned him or anything when you came to visit?" she wondered, elbow deep in the sudsy water of the sink. She handed off a wet plate for him to dry off and put away.

"He didn't always help out," he explained. "But he's lived here his whole life. Surfing and the beach is pretty much everything to him."

"I still don't get the appeal of standing on stupid surfboards all day, no offense," she added at the indignant look on his face. He did own a surf shop after all…

"Brady loves it. You should have him show you sometime," he grinned sideways at her. She scowled and quickly shook her head.

"Yeah, no thanks, Grandpa. I'm good on land," with that, she bid him a good night and headed off to bed.

* * *

"I can't believe I agreed to this," Mack muttered to herself as she walked along the beach, observing the teenagers and young adults surfing on the intense waves. Some completed them successfully, while others fell off their boards with a distinct splash.

The sun glared in her eyes, making her cover them with a hand as she trudged down the shoreline with a glower.

Her grandfather had convinced her to watch the surfers, Brady especially, do their thing on the waves. He convinced her it would be fun and she might even learn something. Mack highly doubted it, but did as her grandpa wished anyways, much to his happiness.

When the sand began to burn her feet, she suddenly heard a voice ahead of her.

"Mack!" Brady called, jogging over to her. She fought hard not to let her eyes stray from his excited expression and down to his exposed chest. Didn't he have a shirt?

'Beach, duh…'

"Hi, Brady," she smiled, and his eyes lit up at her friendly greeting.

"What are you doing here?" he wondered, shaking off the water from his soggy blonde hair. It stuck to his neck and forehead, so he quickly pushed it all out of his face.

"Grandpa wanted me to watch people surf," Mack tried not to frown, for the sake of the experienced surfer standing in front of her. He seemed to not notice her unhappiness.

"Oh," Brady answered. Suddenly, he grabbed her wrist and pulled her with him as he hurried down the beach.

"Hey! Where are we going?" she tried to squirm out of his grip, but he was surprisingly pretty strong. "Brady, let go!"

"Okay," he stopped at a spot where not too many people were walking by. Annoyed, Mack fixed her yellow sundress and crossed her arms.

Looking back up at him, she quickly noticed his eyes darting back up to meet hers and a dusting of pink spreading over his cheeks.

'Was he just checking me out?' she wondered to herself. Shaking off his strange behavior, she frowned at him.

"What are you doing?" she barked.

"You came to see surfing, so watch this."

With that, Brady slipped on a rash guard she hadn't noticed was tucked into the waistband of his swimming trunks and grabbed a surfboard lying on the ground. It was yellow and blue, with ridge designs lining the sides. Mack had to admit it was a cool looking board.

She watched as he splashed into the surf, jumping onto his stomach on the board and paddling out into the ocean.

A few snips of people's conversations beside her made her whirl around. A smattering of teenagers lined the shore next to her, pointing out to Brady with anxious smiles. They seemed excited to see him surf.

"He can't be _that_ good," Mack said, knowing nobody could hear her. She looked back at Brady grabbing his board and diving under a big wave. For a second, there was no sign of him, and Mack felt panic rise in her chest.

Seconds later, he resurfaced and continued paddling.

Only moments passed when a huge wave began coming toward him. Mack watched intently as he regarded it determinedly and turned around, timing it perfectly.

He stood up on his feet with expert grace and began dropping in a wave, turning to surf along the tumbling water.

Mack had no idea whatsoever how to phrase the tricks Brady was pulling off. She figured the people near her knew though, since they were shouting out random words that Mack only heard in surfing movies.

When the wave died down, Brady fell back into the blue water and paddled back in. A large, enthusiastic grin spread over his features and he splashed back onto the sand.

Halfheartedly thanking the people who congratulated him on a good ride, Brady had his eyes set on Mack and her opinion.

"So?" he leaned forward, hoping to hear every word to come out of her mouth.

"It was…impressive," Mack realized she was being completely honest, much to her surprise. It was true. Brady seemed to have a lot of skill in the activity, and Mack found she wanted to learn as well.

"You thought so?" Brady seemed way too happy about her reaction, and she figured if his smile grew any larger his face would split in half.

"Yeah, actually," she smiled back.

"Why don't you go and try?" he suggested, motioning to the wave behind him.

"Well first of all, I'm not even dressed," she gestured to her dress and sandals, but Brady waved his arm as if it was a minor setback.

"And I've never surfed in my life," she shrugged.

"What!" his eyes popped wide open and regarded her with shock. Even his mouth dropped open and the ginormous smile finally disappeared in his disbelief. "But, your grandfather works in a surf shop!"

Mack shrugged once again.

"There's no way you can stay here and not know how to surf," Brady shook his head, as if the idea was totally preposterous. "No way at all."

"I'm fine just sitting here and tanning, Brady," she tried. He was barely listening.

"Nope! No way," he shook his head so fast she thought it would fly off. "I'm teaching you how."

"What?" a gasp escaped her lips. "No, seriously, it's fine!"

"I'm not taking no for an answer, Mack," he grinned cheekily. "So, tomorrow morning at nine?"

Mack stared in disbelief at the boy in front of her. She could tell he would literally force her out the door and into the ocean if she didn't agree with him. Even though Mack made her own decisions and didn't get forced into anything, she sagged with defeat.

"Fine, you can teach me how to surf."

* * *

**Boom! Mack agreed to learn!:D Does anyone remember in TBM when Mack told Lela that she learned everything she knew from Brady? Well, that's basically what I'm basing this on;) I figured I would mention that before I forgot if it wasn't obvious.**

**Please review!:) I'll continue if there are enough reviews on it. I don't want to keep writing if nobody likes it !**


	5. Chapter 5

** Disclaimer: I don't own anything! (Do people still even have to do this?)**

**Enjoy this next chapter! I personally liked this one:)**

* * *

It was 8:45 when Mack arrived at the sparsely crowded beach. For some reason, not too many people were surfing and the shore was pretty empty. In a way, it calmed her nerves down, knowing not too many people were present to witness her obvious failure.

She tightened her ponytail and sat down in the sand, for once not caring that her cover up dress was getting sand on the bottom. It would come off soon anyways so what was the point?

The thought of a certain blonde guy made his way into her mind once again, something Mack realized happened much too often. She scowled at the memory of her agreeing to his 'lessons'. Was she doing the right thing? Was learning to surf a waste of her time?

Or the most obvious question: Why was it such a big deal to Brady?

The answer was unknown, but she almost found it...sweet; the way he was so persistent to teach her. It was pretty apparent that he took an immediate interest in her.

Mack quickly decided that it was too late to change her mind and bolt either way, because she already agreed and McKenzie Fox does **not **back out of anything. She could also hear grains of sand behind her moving as someone approached.

Hands suddenly obscured her vision and a familiar voice sang out. "Guess who?"

She pretended to be deep in thought. "Is it Jake?"

He didn't even pause before pulling his hands back and reacting to her guess.

"Who the hell is Jake?" Brady jumped to sit in front of her, a scowl sketched onto his face.

Mack laughed and punched his shoulder teasingly. "Just kidding, silly."

"Oh, okay," he sounded relieved as he helped her stand up. Mack wiped the sand sticking to her blue dress and smiled anxiously at the blonde in front of her.

"So! Ready?" Brady grinned, practically hopping on his toes in excitement.

"I think so," she responded. Quickly, she shed the cover-up before she could lose courage. Mack was still antsy about this whole deal. Surfing? It wasn't really her thing. But, she figured she at least owed the guy her compliance for being so bitchy to him when all he was being was nice.

"Um, Mack?"

She glanced up to see Brady eyeing her bikini with a mixture of awe and amusement. She didn't think anything was wrong, but the look he was giving her made her want to either step closer to him or cover up. For some reason, she couldn't decide what to do, so she simply stood straight with her arms clasped behind her back.

"Yeah?" she answered uneasily, not really knowing what to think of his eyes that were nervously scanning over her form. Didn't he see people in their bathing suits all the time? He lived on the beach, after all.

"Uh, you know that bathing suit is probably gonna come off as soon as we start surfing, right?" Brady stuttered a little, smiling at Mack like she didn't know any better but he found her cute anyway. He stared like he just witnessed an adorable puppy do something stupid.

"Excuse me?" she coughed, wondering what he was even talking about.

"I mean, it's the waves. They're just gonna rip off your bathing suit, you know?"

She understood, and embarrassment flooded her face. "Oh," was all she could utter out.

"Come on," Brady smiled, assuring her that it was a simple mistake. "I think we should go shopping."

With that, he handed her back her dress and pulled her by her hand to the boardwalk. Mack didn't even have time to refuse before Brady ushered her down the sidewalk and toward the small stores littering the beach side.

"I know this great surf apparel store that I get all my stuff from," he explained. Her hand was still clasped in his larger one, and she quickly tried to pull out of his warm grip.

"Brady, I don't have any money," she tried to argue, stepping back slightly. Brady stopped and turned to face her, a reassuring smile on his cheeks. He gestured for her to keep following him with a wave of his arm, and she reluctantly agreed.

They came in front of this small shack-like building that lined the sandy boardwalk.

"Relax. I'll pay for you," Brady assured, letting her walk in first before following after her.

Mack stared at the inside of the store. It was just like most of the buildings here on the beach; homey, lined with shells, and smelled of the ocean. The last one would make sense since they were literally like thirty feet away from it.

"Yo, Brady!" a teenager with short sandy hair and sharp blue eyes called from behind the counter. He had on an unbuttoned blue shirt and board shorts, showing off his chiseled abdomen. "What's up, man?"

Mack waited for Brady to at least introduce her to this guy, but his reaction surprised her.

"Hey, Dylan," Brady called harshly from next her, not engaging in a conversation and surprisingly intent on getting her farther away from the guy. She glanced back and smiled at the seemingly nice boy in a way to apologize for Brady's insolent behavior.

Once they got to the very back of the shop where the girl's clothes were kept, and Mack really disagreed to that certain fact, she pulled Brady to face her and scowled.

"Why were you so rude to that Dylan guy?" she accused, placing a sharp finger on his chest. He seemed sincerely surprised at her allegation and opened her mouth to sputter out an excuse.

It came out as gibberish, and Mack scoffed. She always had an annoyance of people who hated others for no particular reason. Back east, Mack came across many girls like that who loathed others just for having something they didn't.

"One second, I'm just gonna introduce myself to him since you seem to not want to," she rolled her eyes, turning around to walk back to the front. Maybe Brady simply didn't want to introduce her...?

Either way, Mack didn't let others decide who she could and couldn't talk to.

"Wait, Mack, no," Brady jumped in front of her, placing his hands on her shoulders. "I didn't walk away because of that."

"Then how come?" she wondered, eyeing him suspiciously.

"I don't like him," he glared toward the front of the store where Dylan was standing. "I never have."

"Well, why?" she pried. Mack watched the way the attractive blue-eyed guy smiled at anyone who entered the shop. He seemed kind enough to her.

"Just...reasons," was his brilliant response. "Also, I didn't like the way he was staring at you."

"Right," Mack scoffed. She honestly doubted the guy was staring at her, but deep down she liked that Brady was already pretty protective of her, though she would never admit that.

"It's true," he admitted, looking away from her. "Just forget about it."

"Well, that's sweet, Brady. But I can take care of myself."

"I don't doubt that," he chuckled. "Anyways! Let's go find you some surf wear!"

* * *

Minutes later, Mack was adjusting to the tight material of the rash guard Brady picked out for her. They were waist deep in the cold water, and he was explaining the basics of surfing to her.

"You got it?" he glanced up, making sure she was listening.

"I think so," she answered. She let go of the black and pink shirt and placed a hand on the yellow board between them.

"So, find a good spot on the board where I don't tip, and always paddle with a crawl-stroke," she repeated the instructions and checked upat Brady who was nodding.

"Good. Ready to try it?" he grinned.

"Well, I'm only lying on it. It can't be too hard," Mack pointed out. He only shrugged and helped her find a spot to jump on comfortably.

With a deep breath, Mack leapt up and landed on her stomach on the slippery surfboard, trying to find a good position. Before she could stop herself, the slick top of the board caused her to continue sliding to the other side and plunge into the cold water.

She jumped up with a gasp for air and furiously pushed her wet hair from her face. It was nearly black in the water.

All she could hear was Brady cracking up hysterically.

"Y-you should have seen your f-face!" he laughed, trying to find his breath. "Oh man, that was priceless."

Mack scowled menacingly and turned back toward the shore. If he was going to laugh at her and not try to help, then she didn't have time for this.

'And I honestly thought he was going to at least catch me, or something,' she thought to herself with a frown. Suddenly, a hand encased her upper arm and held her back before she could get five feet away.

"Hey. Where are you going?" he called, all traces of laughter gone. Well, at least he recovered from his laughing attack...

"Home," she glared back. "If you're going to just laugh at me, then I don't have time for this."

"Mack, wait. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have laughed at you," he spun her to face him, making the salty water splash a little around her. "Please."

With a sigh, she glared at him one more time for good measure, and walked back to the board.

"So, paddling is next?"

Brady smiled at her comment and walked back to stand next to her. "Yeah. Try to lie down on it again first."

She eyed the wet board with determination before leaping up to land on her stomach. She nearly slid off of it again, but this time two warm hands held her waist steadily and she remained on the surfboard.

"Thanks," she glanced back at her blonde companion before looking straight at the ocean.

With a deep breath, she began to stroke with each arm simultaneously, moving forward as a result without tipping. Brady followed right beside her with arms hovered over her and ready to help.

Mack could feel the warmth emanating from his body so close to her, despite the freezing water. She bit her lip and tried to remain straight as she paddled forward. In her eyes, she tried to imitate the way she watched Brady doing it the day before.

After moving about ten feet forward, Mack decided to try the next step, even though Brady barely got into it. Before he could react, she carefully sat up, feeling the board tilt dangerously to the left.

She fell into the water with a frustrated groan and stood back up, splashing the waves with angry arms. "This is hopeless!"

"Mack, it's fine!" he swam in front of her and placed his hands on her shoulders. "You can do this."

She stared into his unwavering honey brown gaze as if in a trance. Not realizing it, she nodded at his comment.

After a couple blinks, Mack regarded the surfboard with steady eyes and bit her lip. Before he could give her the signal to begin, she hopped onto the board and began paddling.

"Whoa!" Brady gripped her opposite waist with one hand and her thigh that was closest to him in order to steady her. "Easy there!"

"I got it," she said through clenched teeth, determined to not fall over. Luckily for her, she didn't completely embarrass herself, and then sat up successfully on the surfboard in one smooth movement.

"Nice," Brady complimented, eyeing her sitting by herself on the board without his help. In her excitement, Mack slid off of it and hugged him tight.

"I did it!" she squealed. "Well, it wasn't actually surfing but…"

"You're getting there," Brady finished with a laugh in her ear, sending shivers down her spine. "You're a natural, Mack."

"Thanks for doing this Brady," Mack pulled back, smiling at him gratefully. "I honestly didn't think I'd like it, but it was surprisingly fun."

"No problem," he grinned, and she felt his hands rest modestly on her waist beneath the water.

Suddenly feeling like she was way too close to him, she quickly jumped out of his grasp and fiddled with her hands.

She really should've just gone home and called it a day, but Mack found herself lingering in the ocean with her new surfing instructor, not really wanting to leave just yet. With a deep breath, mentally warning herself for what she was getting into, she turned to glance at Brady.

"So, um, I'm getting a little hungry," she looked back at the slowly populating shore. "Want to grab a bite at that crab shack down the beach?"

Brady was watching her closely with a strange emotion in his honey eyes when she turned to face him again. There was definitely surprise in there, but added to something else unidentifiable. Quickly shaking out of his stupor, he shot a bright smile at her. "Race ya to the shore!"

* * *

**Review on what you think;) **

**I hope the surfing lessons so far weren't too off track. I'm doing my best!**


	6. Chapter 6

**OH. MY. GOD. please don't kill me! I meant to update like every few days but it's been sooo crazy the last like 2 weeks.**

**I just moved into a new house like 6 hours away from my old one and I've literally been soo busy unpacking and everything. We didn't even get wifi until today. The horrorrr.**

**Anyways, I'm sure you guys don't care about my personal craziness, so here's your update. I apologize if it's too short or sucks for you:(**

**I really like this chapter though, and I'm sorry the chapters aren't super long:(**

**Disclaimer: (I'll just do this anyways) I don't own anything familiar, blah blah blah... **

**Enjoy, people! :) **

* * *

Two weeks at her grandfather's house really changed Mack.

She rose with the sun instead of hiding from it like it would bring her diseases. Instead of throwing the fluffy covers over her head, she jumped out of bed as soon as the first morning rays peeked into her room, excited for another amazing day at the beach.

She didn't mind the sand between her toes. Actually, she was growing rather fond of the sensation, as a matter of fact.

Her surfing skills increased dramatically after her first few lesson with Brady. Each day, they spent hours in the ocean trying to get Mack to surf. He was very patient with her, calming her down during her frustrated tantrums and cheering right along with her when she completed a successful ride. Currently, she could surf on a wave without falling over, though she was still pretty far from reaching Brady's level.

As June came to a close, the sun was sweltering outside. Anyone on the beach for more than an hour would definitely feel the pounding rays on their skin. Fortunately, Mack skin grew used to it and turned to a healthy permanent tan. She looked like a different person whenever she saw herself in the mirror.

Her hair was never curled anymore, and her blouses were deep, deep down in her suitcases stored in the closet. From spending so much time in the ocean, the salty water made Mack's hair straighter and messier. Honestly, she liked it better when it was kept in an untidy braid or ponytail.

After shopping with Brady and her grandfather multiple times, her wardrobe mostly consisted of rash guards, off-the-shoulder sweaters, and baggy shirts. She barely wore dresses that much, and usually just slipped on swimming shorts.

One particular hot morning, Mack found herself waking up to a familiar smell and clatter of pans. She smirked as she stared at her ceiling, reminiscing back to her reaction the last time she experienced it.

Excitedly, Mack jumped out of bed, slipping on a white, airy sweater with strings holding the collar together, and pink swim shorts. She tied her hair up in a messy bun and padded into the hallway in her cat slippers.

Leaning against the doorway, Mack watched with a smirk at the sight of her best friend cooking breakfast in her kitchen.

He jumped at the sight of her, and quickly put the egg he was holding back in the holder.

"Morning, sunshine."

"Well, doesn't this look familiar?" she giggled, raising an eyebrow at the apron he was wearing. "Nice apron, by the way."

Brady scowled playfully at her jab. "Hey, I'm not the one who should be criticized on their clothing choices, Miss Kitty Slippers."

Her mouth dropped open before reaching down and grabbing her footwear. Before he could blink, she whipped the slipper at his torso.

"Hey!" he cried, picking it up and aiming to throw it at her. She squealed and darted out the front door, trying to get away from him.

His laughter followed behind her and suddenly she was pegged in the back of the head with her left cat slipper. With a cry of protest, she was about to whirl around before she was suddenly lifted up into the air.

"Brady!" she yelled in surprise as he spun around, his hands tight around her waist. They giggled for a minute before he placed her back on her feet on the hot sand.

"Here's your shoe, Kitty Slippers," he smirked playfully. He handed her the one he had thrown.

Mack could barely see through her hair, since the bun had come down to her face in messy tangles. "Brady, my hair!"

"You're adorable," he teased before helping her fix it to the best of his ability.

"Good morning, kiddos," her grandfather greeted as he approached the house. He was carrying a couple surfing materials and both teenagers quickly ran to help him decrease the load.

"Thanks," he huffed. "This old body isn't what it used to be."

"Grandpa, you're barely sixty," Mack rolled her eyes and entered the house behind the two males with some wax in her arms.

"Mack, will you help me put these away?" he called from the hallway deeper in the house.

"You staying?" she turned to her blonde companion who was placing the equipment on the kitchen table.

"I can't," he smiled sadly. "I gotta head home and help Mom fix something. I'll meet you at our spot at around eleven though, alright?"

Their 'spot' was an area of the beach not too far away from the house. There was an abandoned lifeguard post not even used anymore since not too many people swam in that area of the ocean. They had no idea why though, since the view of the sunset was absolutely breathtaking in that certain spot. As soon as they came across it, it was deemed as their special spot.

"Eleven," Mack confirmed.

He swiftly pulled her into a tight hug, a hand tangled in the back of her hair tenderly. She squeezed back tight in return.

"I'll see you later, Mack," he pulled away with a huge smile before turning to hop out the front door and jogging down the beach. Mack watched him until he disappeared around the corner and turned back with a wistful smile.

Her grandfather stood in front of her with a knowing look.

"What?" she asked, trying not to meet his wise blue eyes. There was no doubt he was about to say something to embarrass her.

"I'm glad for you two," he said simply. She blinked at him in surprise.

"Huh?" she sputtered. "No, Grandpa. It's not like that, okay?"

"It doesn't look that way," he smiled once again with that knowing look on his wrinkled face.

"Brady doesn't…he doesn't like me that way," she stammered. Automatically, she wished it wasn't true.

'Whoa, chill girl. It's not a big deal.'

"Honey," her grandpa shook his head with a smile. "You don't see the way her looks at you."

"Wha…?" was her amazing response.

"He practically lights up when he sees you, every time," his bright blue eyes crinkled at the corners. "I can tell when a boy cares that much about my own granddaughter."

Mack didn't really know what to say to that. It couldn't be true, could it?

Finished with the discussion, her grandfather said goodbye and headed out to the shop, finished with putting the equipment in the closet.

Shaking off any strange thoughts about Brady, she walked into her bedroom and got dressed for their afternoon together.

* * *

After two weeks, Mack was finally found smiling at the hot sand beneath her and inhaled the ocean breeze greedily. She had grown to love the atmosphere, and appreciated a good surfer like the rest of the people at the beach. She was one of them.

Seeing her blonde friend waxing his surfboard a few feet ahead of her, Mack called out.

"Brady!"

He immediately turned to face her with a breathtaking smile on his face, eyes twinkling enough for even Mack to see it at that distance.

'Wow, he really does light up,' she thought to herself as she jogged the rest of the way to greet him.

"'Sup?" he grinned, placing the wax away and standing up. "You ready?"

"Definitely." She picked up her favorite surfboard that Brady was kind enough to wax for her and they both ran toward the surf.

Together, they splashed into the cold water and paddled farther out skillfully side-by-side.

"You're getting better at this!" Brady called over the rush of waves. He dove under a small wave with her, and she sent over a smile.

Moments later, they sat beside each other on their boards and waited patiently for a perfect one.

"So, Mack," Brady began, catching her attention.

"What's up?" she answered. Using the hair tie on her wrist, she quickly pulled up her wet hair into a ponytail so it wouldn't get into her face as she surfed.

"Y-you see…I was just wondering," Brady trailed off, not finding the right words to finish whatever he was trying to say. Mack stared in confusion.

"What's wrong?" She had no idea whatsoever as to why he was so nervous. Brady was never this edgy. He was normally such a chill guy.

"Do you think you'd wanna go get some dinner with me later?" he asked in one breath, meeting her eye cautiously. She blinked, a little puzzled.

"Uh, duh!" she laughed and splashed him with the salty water.

"Duh?" a goofy smile was growing on his tan cheeks.

"Well, yeah. We get dinner together like every night," she snickered, and looked out at the horizon for any good waves they could catch.

She missed his smile deflating and his honey brown eyes drooping. "No, what I mean is…"

"Look!" she pointed at a huge wave forming in the distance. "That's perfect."

Defeated, he followed her finger and nodded.

"Surf's up!" he shouted.

With a shared grin, they timed their stand-up according to the wave and immediately shredded across the water.

Mack felt the rush she got every time she felt the board beneath her gliding along the waves. She had no idea how she refused to surf at first. It was amazing!

They finished it together and jumped into the water, meeting in the middle and slapping hands together.

"Awesome!" she hollered, tucking her board under her arm and jogging out of the water. She waiting patiently for her companion while she wringed out her soaked locks.

"So where do you wanna go for dinner?" she peered up at him sideways as she dried out the water from her hair.

He suddenly looked frustrated and unlatched the surf leash from his ankle.

"Because I was thinking maybe Jack's Crab Hut next to the ice cream shop or-"

"Iwantittobelikeadate," he suddenly shouted. Luckily, nobody was in earshot and Mack quickly stood up straight.

"Come again?" she had no idea what nonsense just spewed out of his mouth.

"I want it to be like a date," he said slowly, looking down at the sand timidly. His blonde hair was plastered to his forehead, but it still blocked his eyes from her. Mack suddenly realized it was his intention after all.

"A date?" she stared, blinking in surprise at the suddenly shy boy standing in front of her.

He winced at her silence, thinking she was coming up with a way to refuse him. "Listen, Mack, you don't have to…"

"I'd love to go on a date with you, Brady," she finally answered with a smile. He looked up with an adorable grin on his face. It was the same goofy one from earlier, and Mack quickly realized she loved it.

"Really?"

"Really."

Brady suddenly laughed with relief and hugged her to his side. As they walked with their surfboards tucked under their arms, they still found a way to stay close together. Brady kept an arm around her shoulder for the entire trip back home.

"I'll meet you outside at seven," he bid farewell like he always did, but with a promise of dinner for later. However, this time was much different. He wasn't just taking her out to dinner as friends. It was a date, and Mack found she liked that word so, so, so much better.

* * *

**And there you go! Sorry if it seems rushed, but I didn't really plan this story to be that long haha. Going into detail those 2 weeks seemed to draw everything out too much and I didn't want it to seem boring.**

**Review please! I hope you liked this chapter because I sure did!**

**The date is in the next chapter, so leave a review pretty pleasee!:)**


	7. Chapter 7

**And here's the next chapter! Phew, I'm finally back on a semi-normal schedule. I'd say every 3-4 days there will be a new chapter. The story's about half-way over, and honestly I'm pretty surprised! I originally planned it to be about 8 chapters long, but that's not happening haha:)**

**Oops, sorry I'm kinda babbling, I know you wanna get to this chapter already (and it's so cute in my opinion, awwwww)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own TBM yadda yadda...but I wished I owned Ross Lynch;)**

**Enjoy!:)**

* * *

Mack glanced at the little clock on her bedside table that read 6:50, and decided now would be a good time to leave. She walked down the hall and toward the kitchen where her cell phone and money sat.

"Ooh, where are you going missy?" her grandfather teased from the connecting workshop. He strode in, wiping his hands with a rag to rid of the surfboard wax and eyed her with his blue eyes.

"Out with Brady," she answered simply, twirling her phone in her hands and side-glancing out the window to see if her date was coming.

"Well you look nicer than usual," he noted. "Is it like a date?"

"Grandpa! I-" Mack began to argue, but cut herself off. She was so used to waving off her grandfather's teasing about her and Brady. He pestered her nonstop about how good they looked together after a few weeks of knowing him, and always dismissed it with an embarrassed frown.

However, now he was completely right, and Mack didn't know how to respond.

"So…?" he urged, a mocking smirk on his lips. "It's a date, right?"

"Yes, Grandpa. It's a date," she sighed dejectedly, preparing herself for his 'I-told-you-so's.

"Ding-dong!" a voice chimed from the doorway.

"Oh, thank God!" Mack breathed. She picked up her money, put her phone in her pocket, and hurried to kiss her grandfather on his cheek. "Bye, Grandpa!"

He blinked in surprise when she dragged a confused Brady out the door before he could even say another word.

* * *

"So, where do you want to go?" Mack stared up at the tall blonde walking beside her. After the embarrassing conversation with her grandpa, she was finally ready to start their date. As they walked side-by-side, she impatiently waited for the nervous first-date butterflies to erupt in her belly, and was almost surprised when none came.

'Of course, I wouldn't be nervous. I'm with Brady,' Mack reasoned. He always made things fun and comfortable. It wasn't like she would suddenly act like every other teenage girl during their first date with someone; even if that someone was their best friend.

"Well, you mentioned Jack's Crab Hut, right? We can go there," Brady offered, smiling back down at her. Mack thought for a moment, and suddenly came up with a place.

"Let's go to Burger Palace," she decided with finality in her tone. There was no changing her mind now. It was a good thing too, since Brady always loved hamburgers.

"Sounds great," he grinned, slinging an arm over Mack's shoulder as they walked across the boardwalk. He obviously knew Mack picked that particular place to appeal to him.

Mack observed the burger joint as they entered, smiling hello at the hostess she was already familiar with. Both of them had gone here when surfing lessons were over, but it was never like a date.

"Table for two, Alicia," Brady said, leading Mack to their table. Alicia described the specials to them before leaving.

"So," Brady leaned back, kicking Mack's shin lightly with his flip flop. "Whatcha having?"

"What I always get here," she rolled her eyes, not bothering to even open the laminated menu. "Double Bacon Cheeseburger with extra fries."

"I love that you don't care what you eat," Brady shook his head with a smile, glancing at her with twinkling eyes. "It's so relieving."

"Well, I'm not faking a diet for anyone, even if it's on a date," she shrugged. Mack looked around at the sixties style restaurant. It was fairly small and still smelled like the ocean, but she loved it anyways.

"I'm gonna get-"

"Hawaiian Burger with no onions and extra pickles," Mack finished with a teasing smirk. He eyed her, impressed.

"You know me well, young grasshopper."

"It's a gift," she brought her hands up; as if it wasn't he fault she was so skilled. Brady laughed again and Mack kicked him back.

The waiter dropped off their normal drinks, and they both voraciously sucked through the straws.

"Mm," Mack sighed, licking the leftover strawberry smoothie from her lips. "Never gets old, man."

"I gotta agree on that one," Brady sighed back.

"So! How am I doing of the waves, Mr. Instructor?" Mack clasped her arms in front of her.

"Well, I have to be honest here…" Brady trailed off, eyeing her with a raised brow. "I think you might end up being better than me."

"No way," she brushed off. "No one's better than you, Brady."

"You will be," he sounded so sure, and Mack stared at his completely serious expression. "And I wouldn't want anybody else out there surfing with me other than you."

Mack smiled warmly at the incredibly sweet boy in front of her and opened her mouth to respond. She was interrupted by the waiter asking for their orders.

Minutes later, both of them were practically stuffing their burgers in their face. Mack thought to herself about how different things would be if she stayed back east. Going on dates with other guys would be so strange, too. She knew she'd feel too unladylike if she ate like she was doing now. Brady just made her feel comfortable enough to do anything she wanted to do.

Even dressing up for this date didn't make her feel pressured. Mack eyed her date's attire over her half-eaten burger.

He had on a plain white t-shirt, cargo pants, and black flip flops. It seemed casual, but definitely Brady's version of dressing up a bit, since all he really wore was his swimming trunks and favorite yellow rash guard. Mack even smiled against her burger when she noticed his untidy blonde hair seemed a little tamer than usual.

Mack herself didn't really bother dressing up, and knew Brady wouldn't care one bit. She only took a quick shower after surfing, and tied her hair into a messy braid over her shoulder. After slipping on denim shorts and a loose-fitting yellow long-sleeved shirt, she was already considered ready.

When they finished their burgers, both of them sat back against their seats with loud groans. Mack rubbed her stomach and let out a belch. Embarrassed, she covered her mouth with wide eyes.

"Nice one," Brady complimented with a goofy grin. He let out his own burp much stronger than Mack's. "But I beat you!"

After rolling her eyes, Mack quickly slapped a hand over the check placed on their table. "I got it."

"You sure?" he leaned forward, a hand hovering over the table as if he wasn't exactly sure what to do. She nodded in response and dug in her pocket for some cash.

"You can pay for the next date," she offered, counting out the correct amount. She peeked up to see a funny expression cross his face. "What?"

"Next date?" he smiled and his eyes glazed over just a little bit.

"Duh," she laughed, pulling his hand to slide out of the booth and out the door. They waved to the hostess and walked back onto the beach.

The sun was setting, and the pretty red, orange, and purple hues splashed over the horizon. The beach was lightly coated in the light, and Mack watched it in awe.

"Want to take the long way?" Brady offered.

The long way was on the beach, instead of the shorter trip on the boardwalk. Mack quickly nodded, looking out at the sunset with wide eyes.

"I love it when it's like this," Mack noted, pulling him closer to the water's edge. The waves were really small at this time of the day, and she walked along the frothy water. "It's so beautiful."

"Yeah," he agreed. Mack turned to face him to say something about the sunsets back east, but the words died in her throat.

He was staring back at her already.

Fighting off a blush, Mack stared forward. She hadn't blushed before in her life, and she wouldn't start now, no matter how many times the guy next to her made her insides twist up.

"So," Mack tried to start a conversation. "Did you live here your whole life?"

"Pretty much," he answered. "What about you? How was it on the east coast? Not as great as this side, I'm sure."

"That's very true," she laughed. "It was okay, though. My life changed so much when I came here."

"I can tell," Brady answered. After her questioning stare, he quickly explained himself. "Well, when you first came you were more…what's the word…?"

"Uptight? Annoying? Girly?" she listed off.

"I was going to say reserved," he said pointedly. "But that didn't change how much I liked you when I first met you."

Mack quickly stopped walking and pulled Brady to face her. His own eyes were pretty wide with slight fear as he stared at her.

"You like me?" she smirked up at him. Her hands rested on the white cotton of his shoulders.

He swallowed thickly before replying. "Kitty Slippers and all."

Mack felt a huge smile break out over her cheeks, and pulled him closer. She rested her forehead against his, nuzzling against him slightly.

"I like you, too," she breathed against him. She then carefully laced her fingers with his and they stood there, foreheads pressed together, with the dying sun sinking beneath the ocean behind them.

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**Aww! Okay so I hope you guys liked this chapter:) I based Mack paying for the check on the Like Me song, just so you know. I wish I was more like Mack haha**

**Please review on what you think! Thank youu**


	8. Chapter 8

**New chapter! I just wanted to thank all you guys for your follows and reviews. They seriously make my day:) If it wasn't for seeing your thoughts on the chapters, I wouldn't have any motivation to update at all!**

**Okay this is definitely the shortest chapter and I apologize for that. I was gonna keep going and combine the next chapter, but I just decided to leave it where it is. Hope that's okay with you guys:)**

**Enjoy!:)**

* * *

"So, how are you and Brady?" her grandfather asked, a teasing lilt to his simple question. Mack eyed him over the surfboard and rolled her eyes.

"He's just teaching me how to surf, Grandpa," she attempted.

"You're hilarious," he laughed. "Now tell the truth."

"We're great," Mack tried not to let the involuntary smile to spread, but it did anyways. Masking her obvious happiness, she waxed the surfboard between her and her grandfather even quicker.

It was the middle of July, and her relationship with Brady was still fairly new to her. At first she figured he was just a summer romance, much to her grief, but that thought was quickly replaced. He was so much more than that.

"Ding dong!" came a voice from the entrance of the workshop. Mack turned to see Brady strolling in. His bare feet slapped against the floorboards and he dropped a few surf supplies on the table next to her grandfather. "Morning, John."

"Good morning, Brady," he replied, digging through the pile just dropped off to find a suitable tool to use.

"And good morning to you," he walked up to Mack, hugging her waist from behind and laying a sweet kiss on her messy brown hair. "Whatcha up to?"

"Well, Grandpa's trying to fix the fins that broke off when some idiot was surfing near rocks," Mack rolled her eyes, leaning back against the warm chest of the boy behind her. "And I'm just sanding the deck of it just to be nice."

"Sounds like a blast," he replied. He looked over her head to see her grandfather. "Hey John, mind if I steal her for the rest of the morning?'

"Go right ahead, son. She needs some fresh air, anyways."

"Thanks, Grandpa!" Mack had to call over her shoulder since Brady was already ushering her out the door.

The sun was already bright and people were out and about on the beach. Brady picked up both their boards lying near the door and they ran down to their spot near the lifeguard post.

"Race you!" Mack shouted over the rushing waves beside them. With a burst of speed, they raced along the shore with laughter trailing behind them.

"I definitely won," Brady huffed. They were neck-and-neck the entire time, and Mack quickly shook her head.

"Yeah, I don't think so," she leaned against the wooden planks of the post, tying on the leash of her board.

"We'll finish this later," he said quickly. "I want to teach you how to do some aerial moves."

"You think I'm ready?" Mack was pretty surprised. He taught her some pretty impressive tricks, but ones in the air? She was already excited.

"I know you are," he grinned warmly. "Come on."

As they paddled out and duck dived under necessary waves, he explained how to do it.

"Okay, so you need to find a good section of set waves coming in that you like, you know, like you're always supposed to do." Mack nodded in understanding, recognizing the technique to any good ride, even ones not in the air.

They dove under a small wave before he continued. "You have to stand up a little later than usual, and find a good balanced spot with your weight back toward the tail.

"Once you feel like you're ready, just grab the edge of your board and pull up so the weight isn't all on the board. You'll feel like you're in the air for a second before landing."

"Sounds easy enough," Mack nodded. They were already out in a flat part, so the waves were pretty small. From this far out, they could tell if any good waves were coming in.

"Do you need me to show you?" Brady wondered, looking over at her with a curious expression. She shook her head determinedly.

"Nah. I got this."

Even with her obvious confidence, Brady still leaned over and grabbed her hand. "Go kill it."

Seconds passed when a perfect wave seemed to grow in the distance. Mack's heart picked up and she turned around to time it. "This one."

Brady watched as she set up, calling out phrases to boost her self-assurance. Mack quickly paddled in, feeling the wave propel her forward. Swiftly, she stood up and shredded across the water, feeling it splash across her face and giving her the same rush she always got.

Risking a hasty glance back, she saw Brady straddling his board where she previously was, hands up to his mouth and cheering her on.

Looking back, she tried to remember what he said to do. Mack leaned down, gripped the board under her hand, and jumped up a little. She felt the weight give way for a second, and she was suddenly airborne.

Her heart leapt at the sensation, and she landed back on the rushing water.

Something felt bizarre, though.

Her balance was off, and the board shook back and forth unsteadily beneath her feet. Mack fought hard to keep it under control, but a second later, she wiped out and fell into the waves.

The water swirled quickly around her and she fought to reach the surface. She couldn't tell which way was up or down, for all she could see was rushing white. Mack tumbled constantly, feeling the cold waves surrounding her in an uncontrollable whirlpool of frothy water.

Suddenly, something struck her head, and then the white was replaced with darkness.

* * *

**Oh no! Poor Mack:( **

**Sorry again that this is so short, but I'll update quicker to make up for it!**

**I think you'll like the next chapter;D**

**REVIEW**

**vvv**


	9. Chapter 9

**Thanks for your reviews guys:) Again, sorry for such a short chapter before, but hopefully this makes up for it;) It's longer too so yay!:)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own TBM, just this plot.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Like every morning, Mack felt the rays of light peek in from her windows and land on her face, shining brighter and brighter until she woke up. The ocean scent tickled her nose, and she carefully blinked open heavy eyelids.

She had no memory of crawling into bed the night before. Actually, she couldn't really recall anything that happened. Everything was blank in her mind.

She looked around tiredly. Yes, she was definitely in her bedroom. The walls, seashells, and curtains were all familiar.

Suddenly, a pounding in her head made her wince, biting her lip in slight pain. She had a headache, which she hadn't had in weeks. Cautiously, Mack turned her head, and even the muscles in her neck felt too weak.

The sight of a boy sitting next to her bed made her suck in a breath.

The messy white-blonde hair and tan skin made him easy to identify. Brady sat on a chair beside her bed, head held in his hands, and his elbows propped on his lap. His breathing was pretty deep, and Mack wasn't positive if he was awake or not.

"Brady?" she spoke, her voice cracking. She couldn't really recognize it.

'Has my throat always been this dry?' she thought incredulously.

With speed that made Mack wonder how he didn't break his neck, Brady whipped to face her, eyes comically wide. He jumped up from his chair and quickly leaned on her bed, grabbing her hand tightly.

"Mack?" he breathed. "Are you awake?"

"Duh. Hi," she smiled, blinking away sleep.

He noticeably sagged in relief, and he sat next to her on the fluffy bed.

"Oh, thank God," he sighed. He typed something into his phone and placed it to his ear. "John? Come up here, she's awake."

With that, he placed his cell on her bedside table and gave her all his attention.

"What happened?" Mack shimmied up, trying to get in a sitting position. Brady was quick to hold her down, much to her displeasure.

"Surfing accident," he explained, smiling as a way to apologize for making her lie down.

The memory came back to her suddenly. The aerial move, the rushing waves, and then nothing.

"I almost got the move down," she remembered, a grimace on her face. Brady's twisted up as he watched her with concern.

"Yeah, I saw," he said, but his voice was uncharacteristically small.

"What's wrong?" Mack placed a worried hand on his cheek, and he placed his own over it.

"Mack, I seriously thought you died or something," he shook his head, blonde hair falling over his eyes. "You looked so pale."

"Mack, you're up!" her grandfather hurried into the room, standing beside Brady with happy blue eyes. "How do you feel?"

"I'm fine," she shook off Brady's sadness for the moment and forced a smile to her grandfather. "Just a small headache."

"I would assume so," he answered. "You have a concussion."

"What?" she gasped, blinking in disbelief. "What did I even hit my head on?"

"Brady thinks your surfboard when you fell in," he explained. "You're really lucky, Mack."

"I know I am, Grandpa," she glanced back to send a thankful smile to Brady, but he was still looking down at her covers with furrowed brows.

Mack didn't understand why he was so upset. Or was he mad at her for putting him through that? She had no idea, but thinking about it too hard made her head hurt more.

"I'll go make some lunch for you, kiddo," her grandfather said awkwardly, probably feeling the tension in the room.

She dismissed her grandfather and studied Brady. He still looked pretty distraught about it.

"Brady, it's okay," she assured. He turned his head to face her.

"You know, I'd tell you I don't want you to surf anymore, but I know you'd do it anyways," a mocking smile crossed his face. She missed his smile.

"You got that right," she teased, glad he seemed happy again. The words Brady and sad just didn't go together at all.

She played with his fingers for a little until she squirmed in restlessness. Mack had that feeling that she was in bed for way too long, and longed to get up.

"How long was I unconscious?" she asked as she sat herself to lean against her headboard. This time Brady allowed her to do so.

"Two days."

"Two days?" she gasped in shock. Oh man, no wonder Brady was so upset. She couldn't even imagine having to sit for two days straight if their roles were reversed. She would undoubtedly go insane.

"Yeah," he flinched in recollection. "Not the best two days of my life."

"I'm so sorry, Brady," she leaned forward to wrap her arms around her neck. He slumped against her and hugged back securely, strong arms around her waist.

"I'm just glad you're okay," he pulled back to smile at her, teeth and all.

At that moment, her grandfather entered the room with a plate of peanut butter sandwiches and a glass of milk. He seemed relieved at the more comfortable atmosphere of the room.

"Dig in," he grinned, placing the food on her lap and handing the glass to Brady. She gratefully inhaled the sandwich, sighing happily at the amazing taste. She didn't realize how hungry she was.

"So, I'm guessing you came in to rescue me," Mack glanced at Brady as he handed her the drink.

"He sure did," her grandpa answered instead, eyeing Brady appreciatively. "He said he dove in as soon as you wiped out."

"I'm just your knight in shining board shorts," he beamed, a mocking cadence to his voice. She rolled her eyes but leaned forward to kiss his cheek anyways.

The movement made her notice her clothing. She was in her favorite purple sleep shorts and a loose white t-shirt.

Uh, the last thing she remembered, she was soaking wet in her rash guard and bathing suit bottoms.

"How did I change clothes?" she asked, sipping the milk avidly.

"Brady changed you."

"What?" she choked, the small amount of milk left in her mouth going down the wrong hole. Thank God she didn't spew it all across her bed spread…

Back at the matter at hand, she gaped up at her grandfather's smirk and looked back down at the bright red boy next to her in complete shock.

He avoided her stunned gaze as he sputtered out a jumble of explanations.

"You were soaking wet and I- everything was wet…I thought it'd be more comfortab- I didn't look!" he stuttered, but quickly shouted the last statement.

Mack blinked at him and barely noticed her grandfather leaving the room to leave them alone.

"Brady-" she started.

"Your whole bed was getting wet even after we dried you off and-"

"Brady!" Mack yelled.

"I promise I didn't even look when I put everything on." At this point, Mack was growing annoyed at him as he kept coming up with excuses. She wasn't even angry about it, but he wouldn't give her a chance to thank him.

"Will you-!"

"Don't be mad about it, Mack! I just figured when you woke up you'd-"

She suddenly leaned forward off the bed and shut him up.

With her lips.

It did the job alright. Mack briefly watched his honey brown orbs widen in surprise, before closing slowly and relaxing into the kiss.

It was only a soft brushing between them, but it made her toes curl at the sensation. His face was held between her hands, while his own remained at his sides, still in shock.

He tasted like mint and the ocean, Mack noticed fleetingly. Before they could deepen it at all, she pulled her mouth away, already missing him.

"That's one way to shut me up," Brady breathed. His forehead rested against hers, and their eyes locked.

As if sharing the same thought, both of them erupted into laughter and leaned against each other. They hugged once again, and as Mack nestled her face into his warm neck, she felt something on her feet.

Brady had put her cat slippers on, too.

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**D'AWWWW how cute:) I wish I had a boyfriend like Brady..:/ I hope you guys all liked this chapter! I did haha and I'm sorry for any grammar mistakes. **

**Review pretty pleaseee? vvv**


	10. Chapter 10

**New chapter! Okay so this is basically a filler chapter but it's honestly my favorite one I think, maybe tied with the chapter before;) It's super fluffy so be warned. You can't blame me for adding the first part of this chapter, because seriously, I had to:) **

**OMFG okay so I went to my new school the other day and I met a girl who loved R5 and met Ross! I could share all my awesome R5 concert experiences with her and it was honestly the best conversation of my life. Okay sorry for this long author's note but I just had to share!**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

"Movie night!" Brady cheered as he jumped over the back of the couch without even spilling a drop of his large bowl of popcorn. Mack briefly wondered how he even did that before rolling her eyes and shuffling after him.

It was three days after she woke up from her mini-coma; well that was what Brady called it, and Mack was craving to get out and catch some waves. Her grandfather forbade her to even set foot on a surfboard for at least a week after her accident, and she grudgingly accepted the decision.

For the past three days, Mack would wake up and help her grandfather out in his shop, before spending the rest of the day with Brady. To make her feel better, he kept her company on land and didn't go into the ocean once.

"Like I said, I don't want to surf unless you're out there with me," he had said as they sat together on the lifeguard post. She simply cuddled against him as a way to show her thanks to his dedication to her and they watched the glittering ocean in silence. She didn't miss the way he longingly looked out at the water. Mack herself missed it so much, but she couldn't even imagine how bad Brady yearned to surf, especially since he was doing it his whole entire life.

"What are we watching?" Mack placed her bowl of strawberry ice cream on the small table in front of them and sat down. She flicked a stray brown lock of hair out of her eye and studied the screen.

"We," Brady began, "are going to watch one of the best movies in the world."

Mack observed his expression and suddenly noticed he closely resembled a small excited child. "Should I be scared?"

"Actually, probably the opposite," he answered, using the remote the turn up the volume. It echoed off the walls of the silent house, while the flashing lights of the screen illuminated her dark living room and their bodies.

"What's the opposite of scared?" she inquired.

"No clue. Either way, just watch!" Brady said quickly. He scooted closer and draped an arm over her shoulder, pulling her against his side comfortably. Mack brought her knees up and grabbed her bowl to rest on it.

"Wet Side Story," she read the bright words. The movie looked pretty old, but she had never heard of it.

"Don't tell your grandpa we're watching this," he warned, looking over their shoulders into the darkened house in paranoia.

"Why? Is it inappropriate or something?"

"No. He'll kill me for watching his favorite movie without him," he laughed, looking forward again as the first scene began.

With a groan, Mack watched the first person start singing and sagged back. "It's a musical!"

"It's beautiful," he sighed wistfully, resting his head against hers as he viewed the screen dreamily.

She rolled her eyes, trying to block out the music and horrible surfing on the screen. Honestly! Those old beach musicals were stupid. Only the boys surfed, unrealistically, she might add, there was no logical reason for everyone to start singing, and nobody's hair ever got wet! Ridiculous, really!

Mack ate her ice cream with silence and chose to spend the time watching the boy next to her instead. He was too busy mouthing the words and watching the movie attentively to notice her staring.

Did he even blink?

Even though she hated musicals, Mack couldn't help but smile at the joyful expression on his face. He absolutely loved the movie, and she loved how much he loved it, if that made any sense.

With the bowl empty in her hands, she quickly placed it on the table and snuggled back into Brady. He unconsciously placed a hand on her knee, rubbing it with his thumb lovingly while his arm once again wrapped around her shoulder.

Mack cuddled deeper into his chest, listening to the comforting beat of his heart against her ear. It lulled her into a relaxed sleep, while the song about falling for someone flowed from the television speakers.

* * *

Mack. Mack, wake up," a voice stirred her from her sleep. She slowly blinked her eyes open, and had to adjust to the bright lights bombarding her senses.

"Huh?" she mumbled, a yawn coming from her mouth.

"You fell asleep during the movie," Brady explained, brushing her hair from her face.

After a few moments, Mack got accustomed to the lighting and looked around. They were still on the couch in her grandfather's living room. The large windows let the late morning light filter in.

"Oh," she yawned again, stretching her arms up above her. She felt the rumble of Brady's laughter and turned to face him.

"What?"

"Nothing. You're just cute when you wake up," he eyed her fondly.

She merely rolled her eyes and relaxed back against his chest.

"You're a comfy pillow," she noted.

"Am I?" he playfully answered. She could feel his lips at the crown of her head, and smiled serenely.

She nodded, and realized something.

"I thought you liked that movie. How come you fell asleep during it?" she wondered.

She looked up at his pretty honey eyes with an inquisitive stare.

"I watched it until the end," he confirmed, but her questioning look deepened. "I saw you were asleep and I didn't want to wake you up."

Mack cooed on the inside. He was literally the sweetest.

"Morning, kiddies!" her grandfather called from the kitchen as he entered. They looked over the back of the couch to return the greeting. "Brady, why don't you go home and get cleaned up. I'm sure Mack wants to hang out with you later."

"Sure thing, John," he hopped up from the couch, gathering his things. He looked back down at Mack sitting on the couch, still in her clothes from the day before. "I'll be back in twenty minutes."

She nodded. After a glance into the kitchen, Brady quickly leaned down a pressed a lingering kiss to her lips. He was gone a few seconds later, and Mack blinked at his retreating figure out the door.

* * *

"How does this game work again?" Mack asked, playing with a loose thread of the towel beneath her. The sound of crashing waves and seagulls were the only sounds heard around them, besides the couple of surfers a few hundred feet down the shore.

"We just go back and forth saying one fact about ourselves," Brady explained, making it seem so simple.

"That's not a game!" she protested, popping a grape into her mouth.

"Yes, it is!" he argued. "Okay, you start."

Mack rolled her eyes and adjusted on the towel. After Brady left to go get cleaned up that morning, he had returned holding a small basket, announcing he was taking her out on a beach picnic. They were sitting across from each other on the blue towel spread over the sand, with the open basket between them.

"Okay…" she thought for a moment. "I hate musicals."

"Horrible fact," he commented dryly, resulting in a grape being thrown at his face.

"Alright Mr. Know-it-all, you say a fact about yourself!"

"I'm allergic to bananas," he announced. Mack nodded, mentally noting to never give him anything with bananas. It wouldn't be very romantic if she gave him something that made him swell up…or die…either way would be a big no-no.

"Hm…oh! I have a present for you!" she quickly dug into the pocket of her purple dress and pulled out a tightly wrapped package. His eyebrows rose as she held it out for him.

"That's a fact?"

She answered by raising the gift more dramatically. "You can say it's like a three week anniversary thing. From when you first asked me out," she explained.

He opened the wrapping and pulled out a new rash guard. It was the same as his yellow one, but a bright blue instead. Mack had passed it when she walked by the surf apparel store and decided to buy him a little present.

"I love it," his eyes lit up. He quickly took off his red t-shirt and pulled it on. It was a perfect fit. Mack discreetly eyed the way the snug material accentuated his developed muscles. "Thanks Mack."

She grinned in response and watched as he leaned forward, hoping to steal a quick kiss as a better thank you for her.

Before he could reach her lips, he was hit in the face with another grape, causing his brown eyes to pop open in shock. Mack didn't wait to see the rest of most likely hilarious reaction before jumping to her feet and darting down the beach, kicking up sand behind her.

She barely got to the front of her grandfather's house before strong arms encased her and lifted her up into the air. She squealed in laughter as Brady carried her bridal style and spun her around, his own giggle lacing with hers.

Mack suddenly saw her grandfather standing on the wooden steps, holding a camera to his face and snapping a picture of them. He examined the photo with a bright smile, undoubtedly planning to frame it for her so she could keep it forever.

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**Can I get an AWWW! 3 okay by far the most fun chapter to write:) And who remembers the picture Mack was holding of her and Brady at the beginning of TBM? I based the end of this chapter on that, if you were wondering. I hope you liked it:) **

**The next chapter is most likely the last one/3 but we'll see;)**

**REVIEW!**


	11. Chapter 11

**I'm sad to say that this will most likely be the last chapter:'( *sob **

**I like how it ended and I really can't think of any way to continue, so yeah, this is it. I hope you guys like it! And thank you so much for reviewing and sticking with me as I wrote this story. It means so much:)**

**Enjoy!vvv**

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If there was ever a reason for Mack to feel anything other than happiness on her wonderful vacation, it would be at that moment. The small, thin notebook felt heavy in her hands. Running a finger along the spine softly, a tiny smile formed on her solemn face.

In her hands was her mother's old journal.

With careful fingers, she opened the pages and scanned her eyes along the neatly written words. Some were faded, while others were stark against the crisp, white sheet.

Her mother was brilliant, there was no doubt about it as Mack read her entries. Most of them were about her life with her husband and daughter. She wrote descriptively about her wishes for Mack to be successful in everything she did in life.

Mack slowly shut the journal, along with her eyes when she felt the first trickle of tears burning behind them. McKenzie Fox definitely did not cry. She shed enough tears back during the time when her mother died, and refused to let the memories ruin her perfect life at the moment.

"I miss you, Mom," Mack whispered, scanning the picture of the on her dresser across the room. She always wished she could go back to that time when she was so happy and carefree. She had nothing to worry about. Her family was complete and happy, and she was content with her life back east.

Now that her mother was gone, Mack wasn't completely positive she would find that same happiness again. Nothing would be the same, it was obvious, right?

And for a while, everything was different. Mack didn't smile as often, she forced herself to do as her aunt wished, and the news of her stay with her grandfather wasn't at the top of her bucket list.

Her eyes fell on the frame right beside the one with her mother, and the same smile she had all those years ago appeared right on her face.

It was a new picture, only taken a week beforehand. On it was a clear image of two teenagers; one with untidy blonde hair and sparkling honey eyes, a new blue rash guard on his torso. It was Mack herself in the boy's arms, a blissful smile on her face frozen in a loud laugh.

Mack had to thank Brady for giving her back her complete happiness. She never smiled as much, never felt as joyful, unless she was in his presence. He made this summer one she would never forget.

With a sudden yelp, Mack realized she was going to be late unless she hurried downstairs now. With one last look at the special journal in her hands, she placed it neatly on her dresser before grabbing her black and pink rash guard and rushing out the door.

Brady and her grandfather were waiting for her near the side door connecting to the surf shop. Her boyfriend was enthusiastically giving his best effort at pulling himself into his own yellow rash guard, but he was having a little trouble, much to both her and her grandfather's amusement.

"Mack!" he exclaimed, finally getting into his fitted shirt and turning to face her with a bright smile. He was barefoot, and dark blue and red swimming trunks adorned the lower half of his body. "You ready?"

"Obviously!" Mack replied with eagerness. She slipped off her loose hoodie to reveal a bathing suit top underneath. With practiced speed, she got on her rash guard to cover her again. "Let's go."

"Nuh uh, not yet, Mack," her grandfather stepped in, shaking his head. "You still have two minutes until exactly one week is up."

Mack groaned loudly, fisting her colorful swim shorts in anticipation. Her grandfather wasn't kidding when he had said she had to wait exactly a week for her to surf again after her concussion. At last, the day had come when she and Brady could finally have some fun on the waves.

And of course, her grandpa was trying to be funny and make her wait until the exact second.

"Grandpa! It'll be two minutes by the time we actually get to the water!" she argued, hopping in her place.

"Oh, alright," he decided. "You kids have fun. And no falling off your surfboards!" he warned, before getting a quick kiss to his cheek by his granddaughter and staring into an empty house.

"This is gonna be epic," Brady hollered into the breeze, grabbing Mack's hand between them as they jogged toward the ocean. "And look at those waves!"

"I'm probably going to be a little rusty," Mack grinned slyly, eyeing the blue water with a glimmer in her eye.

"Like your grandpa said, just don't go falling off again," he warned, shooting her a playful smirk that she caught from the corner of her eye.

As the cold water splashed against their running legs, Mack felt a sudden rush that she missed greatly. It left an excited pounding in her chest at the feeling of her own surfboard tucked under her arm, with Brady right at her side.

She felt at home.

Moments later, they were out far in the ocean, and despite what Mack said, everything came back totally naturally to her. She straddled her board beside Brady and they both studied the oncoming waves as they bobbed up and down with the current.

"See that one?" Brady pointed into the horizon. Mack squinted when the afternoon light reflected off the glittering ocean and into her watchful eye.

There. A quickly growing wave was coming in, and it looked extremely promising.

"Let's do it!" she cheered, turning around to time the wave with her standup. She paddled next to her blonde companion and abruptly felt the rolling waves build up under her board.

With careful balance, she got to her feet and surfed along the wave.

'Yes!' she shouted in her mind, undoubtedly a grin the size of Texas on her face.

With cheers back to Brady who was doing his own thing on the waves, Mack pulled off moves she never even executed yet. She blamed it on the rush and excitement of being back on the waves again, but never had Mack felt so free.

She completed the infamous aerial trick without any imbalance, a couple quick 360 degree turns, and even placed all her toes at the nose of her board. All the while, the familiar cold water splashed across her legs and face. Did she ever shred this well on the waves in her life? She surely hoped Brady witnessed her ride.

When the wave died down, Mack could feel the blood rushing through her veins. Her heart was pounding erratically against her chest in glee and she hopped off her board into the knee-high water.

Immediately, she was tackled into the ocean by a familiar body, making the waves plop around them suddenly. Mack gasped in surprise and spit out some of the salty water that got into her mouth.

"That was incredible, Mack!" Brady shouted in her ear, hugging her closely. "Holy crap, I never knew you could surf like that!"

At that moment, Mack could see the scattered surfers along the shoreline clapping and cheering for her. Funny, she hadn't noticed them at all.

"Oh, my God, that felt awesome!" Mack cried. "Did you see it?!"

"I definitely saw it, alright," Brady laughed, spinning her around in the frothy water.

Mack pulled back a little to share an ear-splitting grin with the wonderful boy in front of her. His white-blonde hair was soaked and sticking up all over the place adorably, and his honey brown eyes were twinkling with emotion.

It was obvious what that emotion was. It was pride.

And love.

"Brady, this summer has been the best one I've ever had in my life. You know why?" she suddenly spoke. Her arms were still wrapped around the back of his neck.

At the curious shake of his head, she continued with a boop to his nose. "Because of you."

He grinned at her statement, and unexpectedly leaned forward to kiss her fully. They stood there, completely wrapped in each other, oblivious to the rest of the beach, and in freezing knee-deep water.

Mack couldn't recall another time she felt this happy. Whether it was because of the beach, surfing, Brady, or all three mixed together, she knew she didn't want to leave for any reason.

They pulled away, goofy beams on both of their faces. Mack grabbed his hand and led him back onto the shore, briefly replying to the congratulations from the other surfers to a job well done on their boards.

Hand-in-hand, Mack and Brady strolled along the shore, the rising waves tickling at their feet. Their boards were tucked under their arms as they talked about nothing and everything on their minds.

* * *

The rest of the summer went perfectly, according to Mack. Every morning she'd wake up to the bright morning sun, occasionally smelling the delicious breakfast her sweet boyfriend would make for her. He never failed at making some kind of joke about her famous cat slippers every morning, however.

Most of her days were spent on the beach, or in the ocean to be more specific, with Brady right by her side. They spent hours together, simply having the time of their life surfing and doing whatever they wanted to do.

Like Brady mentioned a few weeks prior, she wouldn't want anyone out there surfing beside her, except for him.

Mack would help her grandfather out in the surf shop, and finally understood every surfing term and tool used on that California beach. McKenzie Fox was a surfer at heart, no doubt about it.

One particular August morning, Mack spent the time hanging out with Brady, like she always did. They surfed, relaxed on lounge chairs, surfed, goofed around, snuggled on the lifeguard chair, and surfed some more.

They even excitedly talked about the giant 40-foot waves that were planned to arrive!

Little did they know, their lives were about to change the very next day. But that was a story for a different time.

And to think, it all started with a few surfing lessons.

* * *

**THE END3 I hope you guys liked it.** **Review what you think!**

**Oh...and how would you like this story in Brady's POV? ;) Tell me if it's a good idea, or if I shouldn't bother! **

**LOVE YOU ALL.**


	12. Brady's POV!

**Important Notice!**

**Thanks to all your amazing reviews and follows, I decided to try and create this story in Brady's POV! I hope you guys like it!**

**The first chapter is already up, so go check it out in my stories! 3**

**Thank you!**


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